Haiyang Yangko (folk dance)
The Haiyang Yangko has a long history, with its emergence and development deeply intertwined with the geographical environment, folk customs, and economic conditions of Haiyang. The city boasts a rich cultural and historical heritage. As a county where agricultural and maritime cultures interweave, it has provided a fertile ground for the birth, development, and flourishing of Haiyang Yangko.
Haiyang Yangko is renowned worldwide for its bold, exuberant, straightforward, and humorous performance style. The performances feature rich content and are characterized by a well-organized troupe structure, typically comprising three main components: first, the ceremonial team leading the procession, which includes the San Yan Qiang, colorful flags, incense plates (carried by the leader or deputy leader), and large gongs; second, the musical band, consisting of large drums, gongs, cymbals, small cymbals, and hall gongs; and third, the dance team, which includes performers portraying a variety of characters. These characters include the conductor, collective performers, such as those performing the flower drum dance, Xiaoman dance, and Bawangbian dance; and paired performers, such as the peddler and Cuihua, Gu Lou and Wang Da Niang, the ugly woman and foolish boy, the old man and old woman, husband and wife, among others. At the end of the performance, Yangko opera characters or miscellaneous drama performers appear.
The performance procedure of Haiyang Yangko is divided into seven steps: staging, displaying the lineup, opening up performance areas, performing small scenes, staging performances, changing the performances, and acknowledgment. Before 1949, the dance troupe performed only a dozen characters, mainly focusing on Yangko operas. In those performances, the dance parts were primarily used to attract the audience and clear the way. Over time, the slow-paced Yangko operas gradually fell out of favor and no longer held the main stage, while the lively performances of small scenes and dynamic formations became the central feature of the Yangko performance.
